


Season 1, Episode 5A: Tall Tales

by Peaches and RAmen (Peachy00Keen)



Series: Star Trek: Babel [9]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek - Various Authors, Star Trek Online
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aliens, Andorians, Dungeons & Dragons References, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Gliesians, Holodecks/Holosuites, Humans, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other, Science, Science Fiction, Slice of Life, Star Trek References, Star Trek: Babel, The Lord of the Rings References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24982258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peachy00Keen/pseuds/Peaches%20and%20RAmen
Summary: Renetta, Thriss, and Koltak embark on a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired holodeck adventure into a fantasy world where a village is in need of assistance. The three work together to solve the story despite heightened tensions and uncomfortable personal parallels.
Series: Star Trek: Babel [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623328
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on, Koltak, quit dragging your feet,” Renetta said with a laugh as she pulled the lofty Gliesian through the corridors of Deck Eleven. “I’ll make Thriss push if you keep fighting me.”  
  
“I don’t understand the purpose of this simulation,” Koltak responded grumpily, picking up the pace ever so slightly. “Nor do I understand your ridiculous attire.”  
  
“We’ve been over this,” Renetta rolled her eyes. “I’m a wizard and Thriss is a knight. We’re going to save a town from monsters. It’s a game.” The tiny woman turned around to assess her companions. Thriss looked ready for round two, but Koltak remained wary.  
  
“It’ll be fun,” the Andorian said, giving the Gliesian a playful nudge on the shoulder. “I didn’t get it either at first, but once you’re in there, it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the program. Besides, if you like it, you can get your own dumb costume to keep in your closet.”  
  
“They aren’t _dumb_ ,” Renetta interjected defensively. “They’re _in-character_.”  
  
Thriss chuckled as the three of them walked up to the sealed doors of Holodeck Two. “And don’t think we’re letting you do this in your civilian clothes,” she said quietly to them as Renetta activated the wall panel.  
  
“Computer, begin simulation Benson Five-E.”  
  
There was a brief pause followed by a chirp as the computer responded, “ _Program complete. You may enter when ready_.”  
  
The doors opened and the three of them stepped through, entering into an eerily-lit medieval world. They stood at the edge of a forest, in the middle of a dirt path that wove out into the clearing and through several outlying buildings of a small town. It looked like a storm was on its way, but the breeze that ran along the edge of the forest was cool and fresh. Behind them, the entrance sealed shut.  
  
Renetta turned to face Koltak as she rummaged through her leather satchel, eventually finding and removing a somewhat rumpled set of clothes. The short woman held them out to the aesthetic outlier in the party.  
  
“What are these for?” they asked, taking the pile of garments and holding one out, letting gravity unfold it. A pair of deep red sirwal pants fluttered in the gentle wind. “Perhaps a better question would simply be what are these?”  
  
“They’re pants,” Renetta announced, barely containing her excitement, “and they’re part of your costume.”  
  
Koltak looked around. “There is nowhere for me to change.”  
  
Thriss gestured over her shoulder with one thumb. “No, but there’s a whole forest right there. Pick a tree.”  
  
The Gliesian regarded both women with a flat stare. “Let me guess. This is supposed to help me get ‘into character’?”  
  
Renetta tugged at the brooch on her cloak. “Actually, I meant to give them to you earlier, but I forgot I had them in my bag.” She took a step back. “Computer, create a changing tent.”  
  
Beside them, a tall canvas structure appeared, easily large enough to accommodate all two and a half meters of Koltak’s height. They looked from the tent to the clothes to the two other officers already in costume and sighed. “Do I have to?”  
  
Despite being almost two-thirds of a meter shorter, Thriss spun Koltak around and shoved them toward the tent. “Go, or we’ll leave you to whatever lives in the forest, and you don’t want to know what it does to tasty-looking blue people.”  
  
Grumbling with every step, Koltak disappeared into the changing tent, leaving the two women standing alone in the clearing. Thriss unsheathed her sword and examined the craftsmanship idly.  
  
“You really think they’ll like this?” she asked, glancing over at Renetta, who had seated herself atop a boulder and was drawing in the dirt with the end of her staff.  
  
The young woman shrugged. “You liked it, didn’t you?”  
  
“Sure, but I like combat. Competition and agility exercises are my usual leisure time activities. If I’d known there was something that let me take on beasts several times my size and strength, I’d probably have taken this hobby up a long time ago.” The Andorian woman adjusted one of her pauldrons. “Koltak is a pacifist. They avoid combat at all costs, at least as far as I’ve seen.”  
  
“Well, it’s good to step out of your comfort zone sometimes.” Renetta slid off of the rock and attempted to twirl her quarterstaff. “Besides, I bet they’d be amazing at hand-to-hand combat. Koltak has you beat in height, and I’ve seen their reflexes in the lab. It’s incredible.”  
  
“You do realize I can hear both of you clearly from in here,” Koltak interjected, sounding strained. “I won't fight anyone, monsters or otherwise.”  
  
“I figured as much. That’s why you’re a monk and not an archer or something.” Renetta turned to Thriss, who shrugged and raised her eyebrows with an I-told-you-so look. “Next time you can be a musician or something if you want, but for now, hurry up and get your robes on so we can start.”  
  
A moment later, Koltak inched a slippered foot out of the tent opening and paused. “I feel ridiculous.”  
  
“You’ll get used to it,” Thriss said impatiently, stepping forward and drawing back one of the flaps.  
  
Exposed in their wraps and loose robes, Koltak flushed a deep purple. “That doesn’t remedy the now. What if someone sees me like this?”  
  
“Then they can say, ‘wow, you look great!’ and join our next adventure.” Renetta tugged Koltak’s shoulders down to her height and adjusted their robes. “Don’t worry so much and focus on the story. Come on, let’s go!”  
  
Renetta led the way down the path into the village with Koltak following behind her and Thriss, her face now covered in a full helmet, taking up the rear. They walked in silence for a short time until Koltak spoke up.  
  
“Do we have an objective?”  
  
“Typically, there’s something going on that the townspeople will have information on. Either that or, if there’s an inn, sometimes the innkeeper has information.” Renetta turned her head and spoke over her shoulder. “You could also just wander around for a while, but that gets kind of exhausting. The person who programmed this series made huge maps.”  
  
They seemed satisfied with that answer, or at least enough that they asked no further questions until the path turned to cobbled stone and they entered the town proper. There, people busied themselves with everyday activities: Carrying produce from the market to home, bustling from place to place, completely absorbed in their own little worlds. The trio walked down the road toward the main square unbothered until a woman with an infant in her arms came rushing up to them. Renetta stopped short so Koltak and Thriss nearly stepped on one another’s heels to avoid bumping into her.  
  
“You!” the woman shouted. “You three, you must help us!”  
  
“What’s wrong?” Renetta asked.  
  
“Every week for months now, giants have been coming through our town, knocking down buildings and taking our people. The militia has tried to stop them, but nothing seems to work.” The woman acknowledged Renetta and Koltak but stepped toward Thriss, her eyes pleading. “Please, Sir Knight, stop these monsters before they do any more damage!”  
  
Thriss sighed audibly as she reached up and removed her helmet, revealing snowy white cropped hair and an angular, though distinctively feminine face. “Rest assured, ma’am, we’ll look into the issue.”  
  
The woman seemed slightly startled by the true identity of her “Sir Knight.” Nevertheless, she thanked the group and scurried off into the stream of bodies making their way through the street.  
  
“So, we’re going after a giant?” Thriss asked, replacing her helmet and resuming their procession against the flow of bodies.  
  
“Giants,” Renetta clarified, emphasizing the plural. “Though the way she talked about the destruction, you’d expect to see more trampled houses and splintered buildings.”  
  
“You mean like those ones over there?” Koltak asked, pointing off to one side.  
  
Barely visible over the roofs of the nearer buildings, Renetta could make out the jagged outlines of several outlying structures near a stand of trees. Some looked like they had been sideswiped by a large object, while others had been rendered nearly two-dimensional.  
  
“Yeah, like those ones,” Renetta said with a gulp. When the woman had said “giants,” she’d assumed they’d be going after creatures about three meters tall. Whatever had done this had to have been closer to seven meters in height, and at least half as wide.


	2. Chapter 2

“My god, these things must weigh at least a tonne. These footprints are like craters!” Thriss called from the opposite side of a fallen homestead as the trio made their way backwards along the clearly defined path taken by the wandering giant. “How are we supposed to fight something the size of a runabout?”  
  
“Maybe you’re not supposed to fight it,” Koltak suggested, taking a lunging step over one of the footprints.  
  
“These are combat simulations,” Thriss responded curtly as she tripped over a displaced rock. “Of course you’re supposed to fight them.”  
  
“Well, technically, they’re story-based adventure sims,” Renetta corrected. “Koltak’s suggestion isn’t necessarily wrong.”  
  
Thriss pulled up short and turned around, placing a hand on the pommel of her weapon. Renetta skidded to a sudden stop in front of her. “If negotiating is an option, then why do I have a sword?”  
  
The tiny wizard shrugged. “Sometimes swords are better negotiators than words.”  
  
The Andorian paladin dropped her hand back to her side and turned around, continuing in their original direction. During their pause, Koltak had passed them both and was now leading the group. Renetta called ahead.  
  
“Hey, Koltak, aren’t your people warriors?”  
  
The Gliesian didn’t answer.  
  
“I don’t think they want to talk about it,” Thriss suggested in a low voice.  
  
“I don’t mind talking about it,” Koltak answered, snapping both women’s attention forward again. “It just isn’t something I agree with.” They paused again, taking several more long strides over the deep prints in the ground. “To answer your question, yes, Gliesians do enjoy fighting, however, they are not warriors. _Klingons_ are warriors. Gliesians are warmongers.”  
  
Renetta ran alongside the tracks to catch up with Koltak. Behind her, Thriss quickened her pace to do the same. “Is that why you left?” the brunette asked.  
  
“In part.” Koltak stared straight ahead as they spoke. “My views didn’t align with my people’s views, and on Gliese, that isn’t really an option.”  
  
“So you’re an outcast,” Thriss said solemnly.  
  
“I’m a deserter. I can never go back.”  
  
The two women dropped back a few paces when it was clear that Koltak had nothing more to add for the time being. The trio resumed their migratory silence until the trail led them to a wide plain of tall, sable-colored grasses, stands of birch trees, and most notably, giants. All three adventurers stepped aside and camouflaged themselves among some lanky forest trees that had been separated from the others.  
  
“There’s no way we can take on all of them,” Thriss said as she removed her helmet and pushed her hair back off of her forehead and stretched her antennae. “There are at least a dozen of them that I can see and only three of us, not to mention their size.”  
  
“I mean, we knew they’d be big. We could tell that from the destruction on the outskirts of town,” Renetta offered dismissively.  
  
“Sure, but it’s one thing to know something is terrifyingly massive and another thing to see it for yourself.” Thriss shook her head. “We have to approach this strategically.”  
  
“Well, I can do ranged attacks. If we set up snares in different locations, I can cast a spell to lure them over.”  
  
Renetta and Thriss went back and forth, exploring potential tactics and contingency plans in case they didn’t work. Meanwhile, Koltak had found a sturdy tree trunk to lean against and had closed their eyes. Renetta thought they had fallen asleep when suddenly, the Gliesian interjected.  
  
“If you are outnumbered and your opposition has no reason to assume you are a threat, why make yourself a target?”  
  
The two women hesitated, both searching for an appropriate response. When neither one offered anything up, Koltak continued.  
  
“You’re trying to come up with a winning strategy for an unwinnable fight. If this were a real encounter and you went into it with this much self-righteous arrogance, you’d end up dead after two steps.” Koltak swung a leg and sent a ripple of momentum through their body, pushing themself off the tree with a jolt of their shoulders. “Just talk to them.”  
  
Thriss and Renetta exchanged glances again and shrugged in agreement.  
  
“Alright, so we’ll talk to them,” Renetta continued, redirecting their planning. “What do we say and to whom do we speak?” She turned and looked out into the field at the roaming giants. “Which one do you think is their leader?”  
  
“What if we can’t see their leader or they’re guarded somewhere?” Thriss countered.  
  
“Well, that would pose a problem,” Renetta mulled, fiddling with her brooch as she thought. “If it’s a small, isolated guard, we might be able to stun them or something.”  
  
“True, but if they’re in a busy area or there are more than a couple of guards, that might be difficult to pull off before one of them raises an alarm.”  
  
Koltak sighed again. “You’re still thinking in terms of combat.” They reached down and picked up the long string of plain round beads that hung down from their neck and began rolling each sphere between their fingers one at a time. “Why is your first response to eliminate any individuals standing in your way?”  
  
“You heard the woman in the village,” Renetta answered, gesturing out at the hulking figures roaming in the field. “These are destructive monsters that level entire sections of the town every week.”  
  
“Do you know why they destroy buildings?” Koltak asked, folding their arms across their chest.  
  
Renetta opened her mouth to say something before closing it again. She turned to Thriss for help, but the Andorian shook her head, just as much at a loss. “Maybe they’re mad at the villagers?” the dark-haired woman guessed.  
  
“If someone started shooting at you without warning, wouldn’t you be upset?”  
  
“Koltak is right,” Thriss conceded. “We don’t know who struck first, and even if it was the giants, we don’t know what they did or how it happened. I mean,” she pointed to a lone giant out at the edge of the field. “Look. That one is picking flowers. They don’t exactly seem like they’re looking for trouble.”  
  
“That still doesn’t solve the problem of how we’re going to talk to them,” Renetta said.  
  
“When we walked into town, we didn’t look for whoever ran it. We just talked to whoever came up to us first,” Thriss offered. “Maybe we could do the same here.”  
  
“Oh, yeah, because walking out into a field of wandering giants who may or may not be temperamental is a _great_ idea.” Renetta rolled her eyes. “Maybe we should find out whether or not they like their meat seasoned first because I’m snack-sized to them.”  
  
“Nobody said that they ate people,” Koltak answered testily.  
  
“Nobody said that they didn’t!”  
  
“Alright, alright,” Thriss interrupted. “Nobody is getting eaten. They might be vegetarians for all we know, but the point still stands: Someone needs to initiate conversation. Koltak seems to be the most peaceful and least edible among us, so why don’t they go?”  
  
“I would be happy to.”  
  
“Why didn’t you just start with that?!” Renetta shouted. She clapped her hands over her mouth and turned slowly to see if they’d heard.  
  
Out in the field, several heads had turned to look in the direction of the strange noise. One giant was moving toward the cluster of trees where the three of them were hiding. Renetta gulped and gave Koltak a nudge.  
  
“It’s now or never, friend. Go say hi.”


	3. Chapter 3

Reluctantly, Koltak shuffled out into the open. As soon as they’d cleared the trees, one of the two oncoming giants stopped and cocked their head. The other, still looking around and wandering vaguely in their direction, apparently hadn’t noticed them yet.  
  
 _The holodeck’s safety protocols won’t let them crush me_ , Koltak reassured themself as they took another step forward. The halted giant watched them closely as the other began to meander off in a different direction. _This was your idea._  
  
By the time the Gliesian had halved the distance between them and the giant, they felt far more confident that things would go well. Koltak stopped several paces away from the individual that had stopped to watch them. If anything, it seemed curious about the blue humanoid that came up to its hip.  
  
“Uh… _Hi_ ,” Koltak said with a small, uncomfortable wave.  
  
The giant looked at them, puzzled.  
  
 _This might not work_ , they thought, waving again.  
  
The giant’s gaze shifted to the wiggling blue hand and observed the gesture briefly before mimicking it.  
  
 _Oh?_ Koltak kept waving and sat down on the ground. A second later, the giant did the same. _Perhaps it will_.


	4. Chapter 4

Back in the trees, Thriss and Renetta watched the bizarre scene taking place out in the field.  
  
“What are they doing,” Renetta asked, “playing charades?”  
  
“I have no idea,” Thriss responded, fixated on the two figures. They appeared to be playing some sort of clapping game, and the noise was attracting the attention of the other giants in the area. “What do we do if they turn hostile?”  
  
“Well, I mean, the program won’t let any of them hurt Koltak, even if they do attack. I’m pretty sure there’s a safety in place to ensure no one can get squished.” Renetta watched two more giants sit down beside the other one and join in the game of gestures. “I don’t think they’re going to attack.”  
  
“I guess sending Koltak out to act as our liaison was a good idea. Nothing like a pacifist to convey the idea of peace to a bunch of nonverbal--” Thriss was cut off by a sudden silence as the group stopped miming and went still.  
  
“What’s happening?” Renetta asked, leaning in. Thriss shushed her, antennae twitching intently.  
  
“Koltak is saying something, but I can’t quite make out what,” Thriss added after a pause.  
  
“How can you hear that?”  
  
The Andorian turned and regarded the young science officer with a supercilious look and pointed at her antennae before turning back to face the clearing and closing her eyes.  
  
“Koltak is saying something about the village. Something about gods? Ugh,” Thriss crossed her arms and grunted, opening her eyes and leaning back unhappily against a tree as she tossed her helmet on the ground. “They’re too far away and there’s too much wind. I can’t make out what they’re saying.”  
  
“It looks like you might not have to,” Renetta offered, pointing toward the group. Koltak and the four giants gathered around them were getting to their feet and heading toward the trees where the women were waiting. “Should we go out to meet them?”  
  
“If Koltak is leading them over here, it’s probably safe to assume they know we’re hiding in the trees,” Thriss said, picking up her helmet and brushing off the dirt before replacing it on her head. “Try not to look too appetizing.”  
  
“Easy for you to say. _You’re_ not bite-sized!” Renetta protested, hurrying after the Andorian who was already setting foot into the clearing.  
  
The two groups met in the open and Koltak introduced them to one another. “We are going to the village. As I suspected, there’s been a misunderstanding.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Thriss asked.  
  
“The town’s buildings were destroyed by accident. The giants don’t see well at night, and when arrows started flying during subsequent crossings, they panicked.”  
  
“That makes a surprising amount of sense,” Renetta conceded. “But why were the giants passing through the village in the first place?”  
  
“I was told that the village lies along an old highway to a place of worship for these people,” Koltak explained, emphasizing the giants’ humanity. “Their ways may be primitive by the townspeople’s standards, but from what I gathered, their religious traditions likely date back to long before the town existed.”  
  
“Imagine being attacked on your way to worship,” Renetta reflected dolefully. “That’s so… barbaric.”  
  
“Hopefully, when we speak to the villagers, it will all come to light as a big misunderstanding,” Thriss offered encouragingly. “We _are_ going to talk to the townspeople, right?”  
  
“Of course. I’ve already made arrangements with this group that should elicit the least amount of panic.”  
  
Thriss turned and gestured toward the well-worn path through the woods. “We should probably get going.”


	5. Chapter 5

“How are we going to get the town to talk to the giants?” Renetta asked as the trio crossed the clearing between the meeting place where the giants stood waiting and the town. “There’s no way everyone will just agree to come with us, and even if they did, people are unpredictable.”  
  
“Some things apparently aren’t,” Thriss announced flatly, pointing toward the cluster of buildings. “Look.”  
  
Bobbing torches and shouting masses flooded from the alleys and roads between homes and shops as villagers stormed out in droves.  
  
“This is not at all what I had in mind,” Koltak muttered, frozen in their tracks as they stared down the approaching mob.  
  
“Hang on, I can handle this,” Renetta said, stepping forward and brandishing her staff. She twirled it and thumped it against the ground, sending a bolt of purple lightning through the air and up into the stormy clouds overhead. “STOP!” she commanded in an amplified voice.  
  
The angry horde recoiled and slowed, eventually coming to a halt.  
  
“Move, sorceress!” called a man from within the crowd. “Can’t you see there are monsters at the edge of the forest?” Around him, people cheered and shouted in agreement.  
  
“The only monsters I see here are the ones holding torches and weapons!”  
  
At her accusation, the mass of townspeople began moving toward them again. Koltak stepped forward and placed a hand on Renetta’s shoulder. “Use your amplification trick on me. I would like to appeal to them.”  
  
Renetta stepped back and aimed the staff at Koltak, enveloping them in a glowing aura before nodding encouragingly.  
  
“People of this village,” Koltak began. “Please, hear us out. These giants that have been trampling your homes and coming through your town mean you no harm. In fact, you may be able to help them.”  
  
“Why should we help them?” shouted the same voice from before. “They destroy everything they touch.”  
  
“Have you never stepped on a bug or--” Koltak was cut off by another angry voice from the crowd.  
  
“Oh, we’re bugs now, eh? I see how it is. You’re on their side!”  
  
“I am on no one’s side,” Koltak answered, clenching and unclenching their fists behind their back. “I am asking you to listen to me. These… _beasts_ are not the destructive monsters you take them for.”  
  
“Then why did they smash the east side of the village?” yelled a third voice.  
  
“They travel at night and cannot see.”  
  
“Then why don’t they travel during the day?”  
  
Koltak took a deep, slow breath. “The _point_ is that their destruction was unintentional. They would rather pass by your town without causing any trouble.”  
  
“Yeah, but we don’t want them here,” replied the second voice.  
  
“They were here long before your village was founded. You don’t have much say in that matter.”  
  
“We can kill em!” shouted the first voice again, rallying the crowd.  
  
“Enough!” Thriss boomed, stepping into the bubble of Renetta’s amplification spell. “I understand your frustrations. When we arrived, I wanted to do the same as you -- deal with the problem by whatever means necessary. Look at yourselves. Look at _them_ ,” she gestured behind her to the giants waiting patiently at the edge of the village’s clearing. “If they wanted to wipe your town off the map, they would have done it a long time ago, so maybe you should consider talking to them like you would any other neighbor you had an issue with.”  
  
The mob’s tension dissolved as the crowd shrouded themselves in low susurrations. Renetta dropped the spell with another twirl of her staff and stepped forward to stand between Thriss and Koltak.  
  
“That just might have done it,” she said, marveling at the lowered weapons and continued calm murmuring.  
  
“Let’s hope so. I don’t know what else to throw at them if it doesn’t work, and we don’t exactly have the luxury of time.” She glanced up at Koltak, who was staring down at their hands. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“It’s… nothing.”  
  
From where Renetta stood, she could see dark purple crescents dug into the palms of their hands. She glanced down at her own and recalled the numerous times she’d dug her own fingernails into her skin. Before she could think of something to say in response, the energy of the crowd shifted.  
  
“We will talk to them,” announced the primary speaker. “We will also be willing to help them if they are willing to help us rebuild what they have destroyed.”  
  
The three Starfleet officers looked at one another and nodded.  
  
“Seems reasonable,” Thriss said to her fellow party members before turning to address the crowd. “Then let’s convene.”


	6. Chapter 6

"You know, for a while, I thought they were going to charge right through us and go after the giants,” Renetta said, leading the trio out of the holodeck and back into the bright corridor of Deck Eleven.  
  
“Honestly, so did I,” Thriss agreed. “I never thought humans could be so unreasonable. It was worse than dealing with the Ferengi.”  
  
“From what I’ve read of human history, that was _nothing_.” Renetta looked back at Koltak. “You’ve been awfully quiet. I expected you’d lead the peace talks after everything else you did.”  
  
“They didn’t need my assistance.”  
  
“Sure they did,” Thriss chimed in encouragingly. “If it hadn’t been for you, we might never have considered negotiating.”  
  
The tall Gliesian simply shrugged.  
  
“Next time, maybe we should try one of the other stories,” Renetta suggested, trying to lighten the mood. “If I remember right, five-J and five-K are puzzle-based fetch quests. They’d probably be a lot more relaxing.”  
  
Koltak sighed. “I’ll think about it.”  
  
“We could always run one of your holodeck programs,” Thriss suggested.  
  
“I doubt you’d find them interesting.”  
  
“Not everything has to be combat-related to be interesting to me,” she answered, a touch defensively. “Renetta probably has passive programs, too.”  
  
“Plenty of them,” the brunette chimed in, “though I’m not sure how much you’d enjoy them. They’re kind of… cold.”  
  
“One of my favorites is a hot spring in the middle of winter on Andoria,” Thriss offered. “It doesn’t get much more relaxing than that.”  
  
“I’ll think about it,” they repeated. “For now, I think I just need some quiet.”  
  
The Gliesian stepped into the turbolift, leaving Thriss and Renetta standing in the hall. As the door closed between them, the science officer turned to the engineer with a concerned look.  
  
“Do you think it was a mistake inviting them in?” she asked.  
  
“I’m not sure. Koltak seems pretty solitary, so maybe it was just a bit of social shock.” The Andorian woman leaned back against the wall and waited for the next lift. “You work with them, so maybe your perspective is different, but they said more words in that simulation than I’ve heard them say since we boarded this ship for the first time.”  
  
Renetta shook her head. “No, you’re right. They don’t say much beyond what’s necessary when we’re working either. Maybe they are just tired out.”  
  
Thriss pushed herself off the wall as the turbolift doors opened again. “I’ll admit, I am curious what they normally do in their spare time.”  
  
“Art?,” Renetta suggested, pulling her cloak and staff into the lift.  
  
“Could be,” Thriss said nonchalantly. “I’ve also got a question about your simulation series.”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“How do you get the staff to cast spells?”  
  
Renetta looked at the amethyst-tipped quarterstaff and smirked. “Is ‘magic’ an acceptable answer?”  
  
Thriss shook her head and laughed. “Computer, Deck Two.”

  


**The adventures of the _USS Babel_ will continue...**


End file.
